AOL Games has teamed with The Associated Press to take a closer look at the video game demographic and its game playing habits. With the help of international public opinion company Ipsos, the AP-AOL Games poll surveyed 2,016 adults and 770 gamers from October 9-11 and 16-18. The findings revealed that 81 percent of children between the ages of four and 17 regularly play computer or video games, with 38 percent of adults also playing.

Interestingly, although more gamers are male than female, the female game playing constituency is larger than you might think. 45 percent of adult gamers were found to be female. In addition, over half of all adult gamers are under 40 years old, while 27 percent are under the age of 30. About one third of all adult gamers are married and have children.

"These findings underscore gaming's broadening reach," commented Ralph Rivera, Vice President of AOL Games. "It's not about eating dots and shooting pixilated aliens anymore. Today, games are multi-million dollar productions that range from kid-friendly to adults-only fare."

In terms of playing habits, the average adult gamer was found to spend two hours per week playing video games. However, that figure doubled to four hours per week for fans of shooter games, and rose to five hours for fans of adventure and role playing games. The vast majority (93 percent) of online play takes place at home, although five percent admitted to playing at work or school.

Looking at gamer demographics, 41 percent of all gamers were classified as "hardcore gamers," meaning they spend at least three hours per week playing video games. Light gamers (31 percent), on the other hand, play for less than an hour per week on average. Not surprisingly, hardcore gamers tend to be younger people – 59 percent were under the age of 40 and 32 percent were under 30. There are also more male hardcore gamers than female (58 vs 42 percent). In general, the AP-AOL Games poll found that light gamers are more likely to be female, in their 40's and employed full-time. Furthermore, 68 percent of light gamers are married versus only 50 percent of hardcore gamers.

Also worth noting, especially in light of the fact that Nintendo and others are pushing video games as a family activity, is that parents simply don't play video games with their kids very often. 43 percent said that they actually never play with their kids, while 30 percent stated that they play, but only for less than an hour. That said, younger parents were found to be more likely to play video games with their kids than older parents.

Finally, regarding upcoming purchases, it looks like the "big 3" console makers will contend with 18 percent of the population who said they would be likely or somewhat likely to purchase a new console this holiday season. The biggest factor cited in their purchase decisions was price (51 percent), so Nintendo's popular Wii console for $249 could have the upper hand. Recommendations from friends and family was also cited (34 percent). Even if these people don't buy a new console, 35 percent did say that they intend to purchase more games this holiday.